Hyderabad: Four Hyderabad players made it to IPL teams at the auction on Sunday — none for the home side. N. Thakur Tilak Varma, C. V. Milind, K. Bhagath Varma and Rahul Buddhi were the fab four who found suitors among franchisees even as the stingy Sunrisers Hyderabad showed interest in two of them briefly before dropping off.
That means there is not a single player from Hyderabad in the Sunrisers squad of 23, on which they spent all the purse with just Rs. 10 lakh remaining.
Prodigious Tilak Varma was the top pick. He was acquired by Mumbai Indians for Rs. 1.70 crore, eight-and-a-half times his base price of Rs. 20 lakh, at which the Sunrisers started and were in the game until it went up to Rs. 50 lakh. The Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings were the other bidders for the left-hand batsman and off-spinner before Mumbai ended the argument.
N Tilak Varma
Tilak didn’t quite know what hit him. “I never expected to fetch that much. I was looking at maybe Rs. 40-50 lakh,” the pleasantly surprised former India U-19 player told Deccan Chronicle.
He’s chuffed to play for the five-time champions though. “To be in a team led by Indian captain Rohit Sharma and packed with stalwarts of the game will be an enriching experience. I couldn’t have asked for more,” the 19-year-old who dreams of playing for the Indian team one day, said.
There’s no time for celebration though, for Tilak is “currently in a bio-bubble with the Hyderabad team in Cuttack for the Ranji Trophy matches beginning on Thursday.”
Tilak’s coach Salam Bayash was overjoyed. “I am very happy that he was picked by Mumbai Indians led by Rohit Sharma. This is a great chance for him to use the IPL as a platform to get into the Indian team. Having known him as a hardworker, I am sure Tilak will make full use of this opportunity,” he enthused.
C. V. Milind
Milind will play for Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore. SRH made an attempt to snap him at the base price of Rs. 20 lakh and quit when RCB bid Rs. 25 lakh for the left-arm seamer.
The 27-year-old is happy though. “It would quite a feeling to play alongside Virat Kohli and share the dressing room with so many big players. I just can’t wait,” said Milind, who was the highest wicket-taker in BCCI’s national T20 tournament for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 18 wickets from seven matches in the 2021-22 season.
Hyderabad Ranji Trophy team manager Vinod Ingle was jubilant and found himself connecting some history. “When I was touring with the Hyderabad Ranji Trophy team (captained by Ambati Rayudu) as its manager against Karnataka in Shimoga in October 2017, Mohammed Siraj was selected for the Indian team.
"Now, I’m in Cuttack for another Ranji Trophy season and Tilak Varma and Milind (who are with the Hyderabad squad) have been picked in the IPL. I am delighted,” he said.
Bhagath Varma was the third Hyderabad player in. The 23-year-old right-hand batsman and off-spinner was retained by Chennai Super Kings at his base price of Rs. 20 lakh.
Rahul Buddhi rounded it off when Mumbai Indians picked the 24-year-old left-hand batsman and off-spinner at his base price of Rs. 20 lakh.
However, there was disappointment for Tanmay Agarwal. The Hyderabad Ranji Trophy captain went unsold twice in the accelerated auction after being shortlisted by the teams. The 26-year-old’s base price was pegged at Rs. 20 lakh.
Tanmay was the highest scorer in the 2021-22 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 334 runs in seven matches at an impressive average of 55.66 and a strike rate of 148.44.
